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Somewhat related to Shipping luggage from Narita Airport to Haneda Airport and storing it there, but not quite.

We arrive Haneda at 4:45am. We depart Narita 6pm. We have 4x large suitcases (we're a family with 2 young kids). We are on a single JAL itinerary the whole way, but have been told they do not arrange luggage transfer between airports.

Ideal world: We hand our bags to a luggage company at Haneda around 6am. Later that day, we pick them up (around 3pm) at Narita, and check in for our next flight.

This way, we can explore Tokyo for the day instead of lugging our suitcases all over hither and yon.

Is this possible? I've found some info on TA-Q-BIN and 'Hands Free Travel', but none of them are 100% clear on whether same day is possible. Certain pages say there is a 2-day minimum advance requirement for airport-bound luggage. Other pages specifically hint at same-day delivery.

Any help would be much appreciated :)

Our alternative plan is to limobus ourselves all the way out to Narita, then store/check our luggage and immediately turn around & get back into the city, but that feels like a waste of precious time in a city!

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    Despite all my intuition that this should be no problem, I can't find any definite answer (even in Japanese) that says it is possible. Regarding the limo bus, the last time I rode I asked to put my carry-on in the luggage bay along with my regular suitcases. They handed me a card that explained the limit of two suitcases per passenger. So if you're tempted to go out to Narita by yourself with the whole family's luggage, know that they will probably give you the same card. ;-)
    – Kent
    Sep 6, 2016 at 8:11
  • @Kent Not sure where your "intuition" comes from. It is not possible, and I see no reason why it should be.
    – fkraiem
    Sep 8, 2016 at 15:53

1 Answer 1

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There is no way to ship your luggage between Haneda and Narita airports in such a short delay. Shipping companies require at least two days to do so.

Here is the closest solution (courtesy of The Wandering Coder)

If you can get to Tokyo Station with your luggage before 11AM, you can bring your bags to the Sagawa Tokyo Service Center.

From there, they offer same day shipping to Narita.

The service is offered in English, Chinese and Korean and is also available at Shinjuku and Asakusa.

Keep in mind that this will set you back around ¥2500 per bag (25 USD) so it can get expensive quickly. It will however be the most convenient option as you wont have to carry your bags in the Narita Express train.

Here's an other (cheaper) solution:

While not perfect, you can store your luggage in a storage locker in any of the main train stations in Tokyo. Look for the following or ask the station attendant for coin lockers (コーナーロッカー).

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You could stop at almost any station in Tokyo, but some will make your life easier:

Shinagawa Station

In my opinion, this is your best bet. It's easily accessible from Haneda airport via the Keikyu-Kuko Line. You can then depart towards Narita airport using the Narita Express train. No transfers between lines with luggage.

The downside is that Shinagawa station isn't located in "central" Tokyo and you will most likely need to take another train/taxi/bus to go towards the main sights.

Tokyo Station

While not quite as easy as Shinagawa Station, Tokyo Station is still a solid choice.

You will need to transfer once (either at Shinagawa or Hamamatsucho stations), but once there, you are in the heart to Tokyo. When you are ready to leave, you can take the Narita Express train directly to Narita.

I definitively don't recommend you go directly to Narita to drop off your baggage as this will be quite long and expensive:

The Narita-Haneda limousine bus is ¥3100 and takes between 65 to 80 minutes, add ¥2820 and 1 hour to return to Tokyo Station and the return trip to go back to Narita in the afternoon and you will be looking at ¥8740 (around 85USD) and 3 hours of transit time, and that's only for 1 adult!

Not the most convenient option in my opinion....

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  • wow, talk about above & beyond! I'll wait to accept this answer because I don't know if that locks your answer & prevents further updates if/when you hear back from shipping services, but this tells me a ton - the pricing and timing info is particularly helpful to avoid wasting our whole day on transit. One thing it would be great to know in your answer - do transfers & the trains involve a lot of stairs or are there elevators?
    – William G
    Sep 8, 2016 at 18:28
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    Virtually all major stations in Tokyo have elevators, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Accepting an answer doesn't lock it so no worries there. Usually, I wait for a few days to make sure no one else posts an answer before accepting one, but that's according to personal preference.
    – JS Lavertu
    Sep 8, 2016 at 19:04
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    I called Yamato and Sagawa (both available at Narita) and they seem to not do same day delivery. If you get a different answer please update everyone. If you were flying a JAL flight out of Narita there is a way you can get your bag sent to the airport from your "home", however the information was not clear as to if they allow same day delivery. All in all this answer is probably your best bet (and one I have used before).
    – The Wandering Coder
    Sep 9, 2016 at 0:45
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    @JSLavertu Although usually the case, it doesn't always guarantee you get the same information. For example, sometimes there are non-resident foreigner discounts that they won't tell you about cough JR cough or vice versa conditions that only apply to those in Japan. And sometimes the person on the phone is just having a bad day and doesn't want to talk to you. Hence when you get an answer from them it would be good to corroborate. Also, as the working day started here 90 mins ago, you should get a reply soon I hope.
    – The Wandering Coder
    Sep 9, 2016 at 1:18
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    @JSLavertu I am sure there is a same-day courier service here, although that may be limited to the 23 wards in Tokyo. Maybe I could start a new business venture, Airport to Airport luggage transfers...
    – The Wandering Coder
    Sep 9, 2016 at 1:24

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